lambchop-video
"I wish I had shaved for this video" - Lambchop's Kurt Wagner.

27 New Songs Out Today

So many artists, so little time. Each week we review five new albums (of all genres), round up even more new music that we’d call “indie,” and talk about what metal is coming out. We post music news, show recaps, track premieres, and more all day. That includes a lot of tour announcements, a list of tonight’s NYC shows, and NY shows that just went on sale. We publish a monthly playlist of some of our favorite tracks. Here’s a daily roundup with a bunch of interesting, newly released songs in one place…

LAMBCHOP – “CROSSWORDS, OR WHAT THIS SAYS ABOUT YOU”

Kurt Wagner’s interest in autotune continues on Lambchop’s new album, This (is what I wanted to tell you), but he also continues to use it in interesting subtle ways, as can be heard on this new track. “Your Wednesday puzzle is now available,” is all Kurt will say on the subject of this one but you can try and decode via this lyric video. “I wish I had shaved that day,” Kurt adds.

MEAT BEAT MANIFESTO – “PIN DROP”

Highly influential UK electronic group Meat Beat Manifesto’s new album, Opaque Couché, is named after what some call “the world’s ugliest color.” “I wanted to do a title based around a particular color,” says MBM head Jack Dangers, “so I wanted to give opaque couché a chance since it’s not black or white.” New single Pin Drop is heavy on the sliced up breakbeats and if you’re unfamiliar with the album’s titular color, you get plenty of it in the video:

KATE TEAGUE – “IN OUR ELEMENT”

Alabama singer/songwriter Kate Teague says she wrote her slow-burning new single, “In Our Element,” “in response to completely misinterpreting someone’s body language at a series of parties. I began falling in love with the idea that someone was falling in love with me, but I ultimately realized it was all in my head.”

GREYS – “THESE THINGS HAPPEN”

Toronto’s Greys are releasing their new album Age Hasn’t Spoiled You on May 10 via Carpark, and lead single “These Things Happen” is out now. Greys continue to push their noise-punk sound forward, and this one retains the aggressive side of their earlier work while also furthering the more experimental tendencies of their more recent material. “This song is about perspective and understanding during chaotic times,” frontman Shehzaad Jiwani told The FADER. ” wanted to superimpose the socially and spiritually conscious energy of the late 60s onto our current political climate and the pervasive numbness people can feel towards opposing viewpoints when they are exhausted by their news feeds.”

J-E-T-S – “POTIONS” (ft. DAWN RICHARD)

J-E-T-S (aka Machinedrum and Jimmy Edgar) are releasing their new album ZOOSPA on May 24 via Innovative Leisure. It features recent single “PLAY” (ft. Mykki Blanco) as well as the just-released “POTIONS” featuring R&B great Dawn Richard. As you’d probably expect, Dawn sounds great over J-E-T-S’ warped, skittering production.

PHOSPHORESCENT – “C’EST LA VIE NO. 2” & “WISH I HAD NOT SAID THAT” (JJ CALE COVER)

Phosphorescent (aka Matthew Houk) is the latest artist to record a two-song Spotify Sessions, offering up a delicate, spare take on “C’est La Vie No. 2” (which is on last year’s C’est La Vie ) as well as a cover of “Wish I Had Not Said That” from 1981 J.J. Cale album Shades.

FONTAINES DC – “ROY’S TUNE”

Dublin band Fontaines DC have mainly been serving up post-punk rippers but here’s a look at their more mellow side, but their fiery side still shows through in the lyrics. “It’s sung to Ireland – from a mindset of frustration, depression, and a loss of innocence,” says guitarist Conor Curley of “Roy’s Tune” which is from their forthcoming album Dogrel. “We wanted this to be a moment of reflection on the album. We included this song with the purpose of showing our intent as a band and as Songwriters from the get go. That we intend to explore whatever emotions or ideas we see, and not just make ‘another post-punk album’.” The video, directed by Liam Papadachi and starring Dafhyd Flynn, portrays a day in the life of a working class family in Dublin.

RODRIGO & GABRIELA – “METTAVOLUTION”

Instrumental guitar duo Rodrigo Y Gabriela have shared the title track off their forthcoming album Mettavolution. What is “Mettavolution”? It’s a “practical state of mind” says Gabriela, adding, it’s “something you practice like an instrument to become a better citizen, in a more evolved place.” It all sounds lovely.

PENELOPE ISLES – “CHLORINE”

Brighton, UK quartet Penelope Isles are releasing their debut album, Until the Tide Creeps In, this summer via Bella Union. They’ve shared its first single, “Chlorine,” which is a nice piece of buzzy, jazzy guitar pop. It’s also available as a limited edition 7″ vinyl EP with an acoustic version of “Terrified” as the b-side.

CARLA DAL FORNO – “SO MUCH BETTER”

Australian singer-songwriter Carla Dal Forno, who released the covers tape Top of the Pops, last year has started her own label, Kallista Records, and the debut release is her new single “So Much Better.” With eerie synths and stark production, there’s more than a little of Broadcast’s icy pop in this melancholic sound. It’s out April 19

SHUNKAN – “LITTLE HELL”

It’s been nearly four years since Shunkan (aka LA/New Zealand musician Marina Sakimoto) released her debut album The Pink Noise, and now she’s back with a new single, “Little Hell.” It’s got much cleaner production than anything she’s done before, and in place of the punk-ish twee of her earlier work is anthemic, grungy indie rock. It’s very ’90s, very catchy, and a clear step forward for Shunkan.

IDK – “TRIGGER HAPPY”

IDK is preparing to release his new album ISHEREAL and while we wait for that, he dropped the new single “Trigger Happy.” He takes shots at Logic and seemingly a slew of other rappers, and he proves he’s got the chops to back it up.

LICE – “LAYERS OF DIRT”

Lice is a new black metal band featuring members of Shining and Teitanblood, and their debut album Woe Betide You comes out May 10 via Season of Mist. The lead single is “Layers of Dirt” which is atmospheric but a lot more filthy and evil than most of what classifies as “atmospheric black metal.” It’s pretty cool, out-there stuff.

CHRISTIAN LEE HUTSON – “NORTHSIDERS” (PROD. PHOEBE BRIDGERS)

Christian Lee Hutson plays on Phoebe Bridgers and Conor Oberst’s Better Oblivion Community Center album and he’s opening their tour, and Phoebe’s producing his upcoming album. Most info on the album is TBA, but today he shared the lead single “Northsiders,” which should appeal to fans of Phoebe’s music (or Iron & Wine). It’s a tender indie folk song, and it sees Christian rhyming “Morrissey apologists” with “amateur psychologists” with “serial monogamists.” Check it out.

KOLTEN WONG CITY (mem PIG DESTROYER) – “BEAT THE SHIFT”

Following in the footsteps of Puig Destroyer, a baseball-themed grindcore band from members of Kowloon Walled City named after Pig Destroyer and professional baseball player Yasiel Puig, comes Kolten Wong City, a baseball-themed grindcore band from a member of Pig Destroyer named after Kowloon Walled City and professional baseball player Kolten Wong. (Got that?) The band is led by John Jarvis (also of Agoraphobic Nosebleed) and their debut EP Expressed Written Consent comes out March 28. Lead single “Beat The Shift” is out now.

LAURA STEVENSON – “VALUE INN”

Laura Stevenson releases her fifth album, The Big Freeze, on March 29 via Don Giovanni. Its melancholy second single “Value Inn” “is a hard listen for me,” Laura says, “because I can hear exactly how I felt when I wrote it- but I’m proud that I got it out as honestly as I did.”

DIAMOND HEAD – “BELLY OF THE BEAST”

Legendary NWOBHM band Diamond Head may only have one original member left (guitarist Brian Tatler), but their new stuff is still worth it for Tatler’s riffs and shredding, and current vocalist Rasmus Bom Andersen does a pretty fine job of matching Tatler’s fretwork with classic-metal howls. Their new album The Coffin Train comes out May 24 via Silver Lining Music, and you can get a taste now from lead single “Belly of the Beast.”

VAMPIRE WEEKEND – “SUNFLOWER” & “BIG BLUE”

Vampire Weekend’s first album in six years, Father of the Bride, comes out May 3, and the band have shared two more songs from it which we wrote more about here.

FAYE WEBSTER – “ROOM TEMPERATURE”

Atlanta singer/songwriter Faye Webster announced her third album, Atlanta Millionaires Club, due out May 24 via Secretly Canadian. Its first single, “Room Temperature,” is burnished with pedal steel and Faye’s lilting vocals.

THE GOTOBEDS – “CALQUER THE HOUND”

Pittsburgh’s The Gotobeds will release Debt Begins at 30, which is their second album for Sub Pop, in May. It’s loaded with guest appearances, including members of Protomartyr, Shellac, Pavement and they even got Matador Records’ Gerard Cosloy to be on it. Check out the first single, which features Gotobeds frontman Eli Kasan’s old Kim Phuc bandmate Rob Henry, and read more about it here.

EARTH – “CATS ON THE BRIAR”

Earth’s new album Full Upon Her Burning Lips comes out May 24 via Sargent House, and Dylan Carlson said, “I wanted this to be a ‘sexy’ record, a record acknowledging the ‘witchy’ and ‘sensual’ aspects in the music.” The lead single is the mesmerizing “Cats on the Briar,” which we wrote more about here.

CHARLY BLISS – “CHATROOM”

Charly Bliss shared the second single off their upcoming album, Young Enough. We wrote more about “Chatroom” here.

INTER ARMA – “THE ATAVIST’S MERIDIAN”

“The Atavist’s Meridian” is the third song released from Inter Arma’s anticipated new album Sulphur English, and it clocks in at over 12 minutes, and it really earns its lengthy running time, going from something chaotic and heavy to something atmospheric and psychedelic before building to a crushing doom climax. Read more here.

NOTHING – “US/WE/ARE” (PIANO VERSION)

Nothing’s rarities compilation came out today, along with a video for this live-in-studio piano version of “Us/We/Are,” which appeared in a much heavier format on last year’s Dance On The Blacktop. Read more here.

STEF CHURA – “METHOD MAN” (PROD. CAR SEAT HEADREST)

“Method Man” is the first single off Stef Chura’s Saddle Creek debut Midnight (produced by Will Todelo aka Car Seat Headrest), and the song title was in fact sort of inspired by the Wu-Tang Clan member. “A long time ago I was pondering the literal words ‘Method Man’ while listening to Wu-Tang. There was a person in my life that I had a confusing array of emotions for, sometimes I was in love with him, I admired and looked up to him, I thought of him as superior to me. He was older than me and I was a teenager. At that age I experienced a titanic amount of anxiety that usually expressed itself as silence,” Stef says. Read more here.

Looking for even more new songs? Browse the ‘New Songs’ archive.